My son often thinks that my little efforts to share thoughts on what should change in this society are in vain. He sincerely tells me to just mind my own business and not worry about the world, ’cause the world will anyway never change and that I am wasting my time, discussing or writing about things that are beyond me.

I try my best to remind him that if generations before us had thought that way, we wouldn’t even be living in a free country, let alone see so much progress. I try hard to explain to him that despite all our flaws, we are a great country and that all this shouting, sloganeering and writing blog posts demanding change, are just minor efforts to fill the gaps that we see – Not to decry the whole system. Never to decry our Incredible India.

The system is beautiful, I say. It is sustaining us as a society. We’ve come a long way. Its great to see where we are. We ought to be proud as Indians. And we ought to give back to our society, for all the goodness that we’ve experienced here. Highlighting the flaws in our society is our way of making it perfect for our next generation. So this “finding fault” thing is just like a feedback mechanism, to a well-oiled machine. Certain things must be looked into, on a day-to-day basis, because we are now an organizational behemoth – one end of the country does not even know what’s happening to the other end, unless a group of people seek attention by shouting out through media – The fact that the national channels took almost a week to react to Chennai floods and were busy with Aamir Khan’s supposed remark about how India may not be a safe place to live, when hundreds of people were getting drowned here, is just an example. But, yes, we do react, albeit a bit slowly at
times, I nod.

I share my thoughts with examples to highlight that the system has evolved over so many millennia – this system of building frameworks for society, coding the most common acceptable principles to “live and let live,” implementing rules that ensure dignity of the individual spirit, punishing the wrong-doer, educating people on their rights and encouraging them to fight back, codifying democracy, amending those previously defined rules, to reflect the evolution of our people….all these are earnest efforts to protect the individual’s rights. I assure him that we’ve come a long way from “an eye for an eye” to mobile Consumer courts. I point out that the system ensures that you can fight back, if you want to, and it will be heard.

Despite all my rhetoric, I also see that he has a point.

I see that as a society today we are too cynical and our press thinks that their job ends with making hyper-insinuating comments about a party or a person in power; And then there’s no following up the story. So like right-thinking members of a younger generation he reads something, feels disenchanted with the system and his neurons are now wired to find fault with everything – he is now part of a larger system which is exposing the gaping holes in which its operating, and in the process is also highlighting that there is little merit to an individual who wants to make a difference. For a younger generation it can be disheartening.

He remarks that when power is in the wrong heads, everything that is defined as “right,” is all wrong – Because the very perception of what is right or wrong, is wrong. He clearly articulates that the concept of “morality” is flawed – Today, its against the natural order of things and the few people who want to correct these things are outnumbered by the many who’ve got it all wrong. He says that the very framework that is supposed to protect the innocent, the right ones of the society, the torch bearers of a generation ends up punishing them for the very things that they are supposed to be celebrated for. He shrugs that its just a waste of time and that they shouldn’t be gearing up to simply lose. For him, its like the good old Joan of Arc days where you are witch hunted for being right.

He concludes that when power is in the wrong hands, everything goes wrong.

For my part, I share with him that human kind has evolved because of a Martin Luther King and a Mahatma Gandhi – leaders who knew that they were just one against a powerful too many. These were people who set a goal, worked their life out to reach that goal, and REACHED. Yes, their personal lives were miserable, but they made THE difference to their society. They contributed and they can be satisfied that they achieved what they wanted.

It has always been that ONE person – that ONE person – who has made the difference to a sea of humanity. All through human evolution, it has been ONE person who wanted to change the order of things – Prophets, philosophers, leaders – these were just common people, like you and me, who woke up one day and decided to change the system. It has always been ONE person who has changed the order of things.

You can be that ONE person. You should be, I encourage him.

I assure my son that if you choose to be the ONE to make a difference, be that. If you believe that something has to be different, be the ONE to bring about that difference. Be consistent in your efforts. Believe that if your cause is worthwhile, then things will fall into place.

He shrugs and moves on to his books. I am sure he thinks that its hard to put sense into my head.

I decide that I will be consistent in my efforts. With his support. Because it’s his India we’re trying to make perfect.